46th polio case reported in 2024 from Pakistan
46th polio case reported in 2024 from Pakistan
Pakistan health authorities have confirmed the detection of another wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case in Pakistan.
On Monday, 4 November 2024, the lab confirmed detection of the virus in a male child hailing from Killa Saifullah district of Balochistan, bringing the number of total cases in the country this year to 46.
This is the second polio case from Killa Saifullah, where several environmental samples have tested positive for WPV1. So far, 23 cases have been reported from Balochistan province, 12 from Sindh province, nine from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
Balochistan is the most affected province this year. Campaign implementation faced challenges in this region in previous months due to localized protests and pockets of insecurity. These high number of cases is indicative of the harm that children suffer from missed vaccination opportunities.